title: The use of hydralazine to manipulate tumour temperatures during hyperthermia.
abstract: Hydralazine is an antihypertensive drug which theoretically could increase tumour temperatures during hyperthermia via reduction in tumour blood flow from a vascular 'steal' phenomenon. Doses that are therapeutically effective in reducing blood pressure in hypertensive patients would probably cause postural hypotension and other side-effects in normotensive patients beyond the hyperthermia treatment session, however. This study was designed to evaluate whether hydralazine, when administered at a safe dose for normotensive patients (0.125 mg/kg, i.v.) would be effective in increasing tumour temperatures during hyperthermia. The working hypothesis was that hydralazine at a dose of 0.125 mg/kg would be effective in raising tumour temperatures during hyperthermia treatment with minimal change in blood pressure. Fourteen human and five canine subjects were given hydralazine (0.125 mg/kg, i.v.) at the midpoint of a hyperthermia session. Temperatures and blood pressures were monitored before and after drug administration. Although hydralazine resulted in slight reduction in blood pressure, it was ineffective in increasing tumour temperatures in human patients (average maximum rise in median temperature was 0.26 +/- 0.32 degrees C). In canine subjects the same dose of hydralazine was effective in reducing blood pressure in four of five subjects studied (mean maximum drop was 22.7 +/- 4.1 mmHg) and the median temperature rose 0.8 +/- 0.7 degrees C. In the canine subjects the greater the decrease in blood pressure, the greater the increase in temperature. These results suggest that a rise in tumour temperature induced by hydralazine is dependent on creating a drop in blood pressure. Future studies in this laboratory will include tumour blood flow manipulation with antihypertensives which have a shorter half-life and a titratable effect. Using this approach, hypotension, which seems to be required to raise tumour temperature, will be more controllable in terms of magnitude and duration.
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center, Division of Radiation Oncology, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Dewhirst
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: T V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Samulski
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Thrall
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leopold
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosner
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Acker
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Oleson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D004285:Dogs; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D006830:Hydralazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007022:Hypotension / Q000139:chemically induced; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D006830:Hydralazine